MOTOGP CATALUNYA 2015 - PREVIEW

CATALUNYA GRAND PRIX PREVIEW

Montmelò (Spain), 11 June 2015 - The 2015 MotoGP World Championship resumes this weekend with the seventh round on the calendar, the Catalunya Grand Prix on the Montmelò track just outside Barcelona. This is another important round that will let Aprilia Racing Team Gresini continue development of the Alvaro Bautista's and Marco Melandri's Aprilia RS-GP bikes which have recently undergone various changes involving different areas, from the transmission to the engine and even aerodynamics and chassis.

Precisely with the intention of conducting an in depth check of the numerous technical changes which were recently introduced and testing other new frame solutions, before heading for Spain the team completed a day of testing on the Misano circuit. Spaniard Alvaro Bautista was on the track astride the Aprilia RS-GP.

ROMANO ALBESIANO (Aprilia Racing Manager)

“The first third of the season has been in line with the goals we set at the beginning of the year when we decided to return to MotoGP 12 months ahead of schedule. The project has had some difficult moments and it has made clear progress, which is all quite natural. Now we simply need to consistently continue the trend of general improvement in terms of bike performance. At Mugello we introduced a number of changes. These are goals which have been achieved for us, fundamental technical foundations for the design of the new bike as well. Barcelona will be important to once again verify the effectiveness of all the changes made and to have them work together to improve performance in practice and in the race.”

FAUSTO GRESINI (Team Manager)

“We'll be going to Barcelona motivated with a great desire to improve. Compared with the events at Mugello, on paper the Montmelò circuit should suite the characteristics of our bike better, so we are confident that we'll be able to do a good job on the bike throughout the weekend. Before leaving for Spain we had a very important test at Misano where Bautista had the chance to test new chassis solutions that the Racing Department has prepared.”

ALVARO BAUTISTA

“I like the Montmelò circuit and it's always a pleasure to race for my home fans, so I am expecting a nice weekend. In any case, before going to Barcelona I made a stop in Italy to do some testing on the Misano circuit. We had the opportunity to do some further checks on the changes that we had already introduced during the Italian Grand Prix in order to better understand which solutions to take forward. Our goal remains the same: to develop the bike during all the practice sessions, trying to achieve the best possible feeling in view of the race. Montmelò is another new track for the Aprilia, so we'll be trying to work hard from the beginning to gather as much data as possible.”

MARCO MELANDRI

“We arrive in Barcelona with good intentions. I want to work without thinking about the rumors regarding my situation. I hope to do a good job and I will give my best as always. My team is working hard and I hope that the new technical updates can give us a positive feedback”.